What Goes Around
by MadiWillow
Summary: When you cheated girl, my heart bleeded girl. So it goes without saying that you left me feeling hurt. Just a classic case, scenario. Tale as old as time, girl you got what you deserved. OneShot, SongFic. RxG TxTr


**AN:** This one-shot took me FOREVER to start. I swear, I've had this idea ever since I went to the Justin Timberlake concert, and now, nearly a month later, I finally finished it. This one-shot went through MANY different versions (of which you can view on my freewebs, under the Bonus Story Info page) before I finally settled on this one. I'm sure once reading this, you'll all be able to tell that this is very different from what I'd normally write, but I hope that doesn't mean you'll give up on me. I'm just trying to explore different writing styles.

The song used in this story is What Goes Around.../... Comes Around by Justin Timberlake. I'll post a link to a music video for it on youtube on my profile soon, in case you don't have the song and would like to listen to it while reading the story.

Just for the sake of shameless advertising, check out my story on FictionPress please. :-) You can find the link on my freewebs, under the FictionPress page.

**Title: **_What Goes Around  
_**Rating: **_T  
_**Author: **_MadiWillow  
_**Summary:** _When you cheated girl, my heart bleeded girl. So it goes without saying that you left me feeling hurt. Just a classic case, scenario. Tale as old as time, girl you got what you deserved. OneShot, SongFic.  
_**Genre:** _Drama/Angst  
_**Chapter: **_OneShot_

_Hey girl,  
Is he everything you wanted in a man?  
You know I gave you the world,  
You had me in the palm of your hand ._

The day he found out was the last day of his life. He still remembered it as if it were yesterday; the sight of them together; the overwhelming mixture of feelings. He remembered the hot anger coursing through his veins like an erupting volcano; the anguish so heart-wrenching that his breath caught. Feeling as though she had peeled back his skin just to rip apart his heart, he saw them meet his gaze, their eyes grow wide, their mouths drop open.

_So why your love went away,  
__I just can't seem to understand.  
__Thought it was me and you, baby.  
__Me and you until the end,  
__But I guess I was wrong._

His mouth was dry as sand as she jumped up, quickly pulling down her shirt and fixing her hair. He, too, stood up and wiped his mouth, causing Troy's chest to constrict even tighter.

"Troy – wh-what are you doing here?" she asked with forced casualty, as if what he'd witnessed had never taken place.

He blinked at her slowly, wondering how he could've fallen in love with such a person. He stole a glance at her "other man", the resentment growing fiercer as he looked into the eyes of two people he had once considered friends.

"I came back from L.A. early, to... to surprise you," he muttered hoarsely. His throat cracked but he took no notice, instead trying to control the immense fury continuing to grow.

"Oh," was all she said, unmoving. She stood still, in between the two boys, gradually becoming more uncomfortable with each passing second. Rolling her foot around slowly, she finally said, her voice voice small like that of a child caught drawing on the walls, "Troy, I-"

No longer caring, he swiftly interrupted her. "How could you?" he asked slowly, his voice rumbling with dangerous rage.

_Don't wanna think about it,  
__Don't wanna talk about it,  
__I'm just so sick about it.  
__I can't believe it's ending this way._

"It's not what you think, Troy-" she started with the classic line. Instead of soothing his emotions, it instead lit his fuse.

"Not what I think, Gabriella!?" Troy stuttered, his voice rising with each word that came spewing from his mouth. "Then what is it, Gabriella? What exactly is it that you two were doing?"

Gabriella's mouth opened to say something, but then she closed it again. She opened and closed it a few more times, glancing around the room for salvation but finding none. She gaped for a moment, like a fish on land, before saying, "I-I'm sorry."

His throat was being squeezed to half its size; tears prickled behind his eyelids but he blinked, refusing to let them fall. Swallowing deeply, he croaked simply, "Why?"

Pursing her lips, Gabriella didn't mind letting her own tears splash down her cheeks, causing him to not sympathize with her but infuriate further. "I don't know, Troy!" she cried, tear droplets dripping from her face onto the carpet under her feet. "I-I just... Ryan, he..."

_Just so confused about it,  
__Feeling the blues about it,  
__I just can't do without ya.  
__Tell me is this fair?_

Shaking his head sharply, Troy held up his palm to interrupt her again. "You know what... save it. I don't care. I just... I can't believe you would do this to me, Gabriella." His voice left him for a moment, and he shuddered. Sticking his hands in his pocket to keep them from shaking – caused by outrage or despondency, he wasn't sure – he took a deep breath and continued. "I thought I gave you everything you wanted. I don't know what caused you do this, but I don't really care. It's your problem, not mine. But I just wish... I just wish it could've ended better than this."

He turned on his heel, the flowers that had fallen from his hands moment before long forgotten, and started out her room before he heard Gabriella cry out morosely from behind him, "Oh, Troy, wait!"

Against better judgement, he turned around and was met with the sight of Gabriella, standing mere feet away from him, tears still pouring out of his eyes like twin waterfalls. "Please, Troy," she sputtered through her misery, "This-this doesn't have to be the end. We can work through this."

Narrowing his eyes visciously, Troy hissed through clenched teeth, "I'm not willing to try." Leaving after one quick snapshot of Gabriella standing in the middle of her room, red-eyed and swelled face, with only Ryan to comfort her, Troy turned around agilely and walked out of her life.

_Is this way it's really going down?  
__Is this how we say good-bye?  
__Should'a known better when you came around,  
__That you were gonna make me cry._

Troy remembered that day as if it were yesterday. He hadn't informed anyone of the incident, and it became clear to him that neither had Gabriella when he showed up to school a few days later. Everyone had been baffled as to why Troy and Gabriella were avoiding each other, and why Ryan and Gabriella had eaten lunch alone together. It wasn't until Taylor had cornered him by his locker had he acknowledged the incident. Taylor, predictably, had been aghast at the fact that Gabriella could commit such an act.

"_Gabriella_ did this?" she'd stammered. "With – _Ryan_? For how long?"

"I don't know, and I don't care," Troy had said shortly.

_It's breaking my heart to watch you run around,  
__'Cause I know that you're living a lie.  
__But that's okay, baby, 'cause in time, you will find..._

It didn't take long for everyone, except Ryan, to turn on Gabriella. Troy could tell that, behind her indifferent facade, it was tearing her up inside that no one would talk to her anymore; that all her friends had deserted her; that people would whisper nasty remarks to her as they passed in the halls. Had this been a year earlier, Troy might've cared – but his animosity toward her had yet to cease, and he found that her regret and distress only added fuel to his flame.

_What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.  
__What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.  
__What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.  
__What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.  
__Yeah._

He found himself thriving on her pain; her wretchedness. Every time he heard a harsh rumor said about her, his heart would lift ever so slightly. Every time she would look at him, with hurt in her eyes, he would only feel happier. Sometimes he would walk close to her, close enough to cause her face to light up slightly, only to fall when he would seethe quietly, "You're getting what you deserve."

However, as horrible as Gabriella might have felt about the whole ordeal, as crestfallen as she may have acted, she continued to go out with Ryan. And slowly, through her own confidence and determination, she started to become accepted again with the school. Troy and Taylor, among few others, still sneered at the sight of her, but she was able to wrangle a group of friends. And the last time Troy tried to insult her under his breath in the hallways of the school, she turned to him and whispered menacingly, in a voice highly unlike the old Gabriella he'd known, "I've moved on now, Troy. It's time for you to do the same."

_Now girl,  
__I remember everything that you claimed.  
__You said that you were moving on now,  
__Maybe I should do the same._

Troy, regardless, couldn't move on. He wasn't sure if it was by choice or burden, but he just couldn't get over her. As he watched Gabriella give her speech as Valedictorian during their high school graduation, bitterness churned down in the pit of his stomach as she got everything she'd ever wanted.

_The funny thing about that is,  
__I was ready to give you my name.  
__Thought it was me and you, baby,  
__And now, it's all just a shame,  
__And I guess I was wrong._

Troy never saw Gabriella again following their graduation; in fact, the only person from his school that he kept in touch with was Taylor. The two both went to college in Los Angeles and were able to keep in touch easily. However, no matter how hard Troy tried, and no matter how many girls he dated, he found he couldn't let go of Gabriella's memory. And he didn't know why.

_Don't wanna think about it,  
__Don't wanna talk about it,  
__I'm just so sick about it.  
__I can't believe it's ending this way.  
__Just so confused about it,  
__Feeling the blues about it,  
__I just can't do without ya.  
__Can you tell me is this fair?_

Even at age twenty-four, he still found himself thinking about her every day. Every time he did, his blood would boil with ill-tempered emotions, and he wished it wouldn't. It'd been nearly six years since he'd seen her, and yet he couldn't get over her. And it tore him up inside – until he stumbled upon her on television one night.

_Is the way it's really going down?  
__Is this how we say good-bye?  
__Should'a known better when you came around,  
__That you were gonna make me cry.  
__Now it's breaking my heart to watch you run around,  
__'Cause I know that you're living a lie.  
__But that's okay, baby, 'cause in time, you will find..._

"Hey! Look who's on The Late Show!" he called out to his current girlfriend, who was in the other room getting a drink. He focused all of his attention on the television screen, where the talk-show host was currently interviewing none other than his ex.

"So tell me, Miss Montez, how did you get started in the singing business?" the host asked curiously.

Gabriella flashed a smile – a smile that caused his heart to ache, not with longing but with aggravation; anyone who saw her smile like that would fall under her spell, the same way he had. No one would think that a girl so innocent, so kind, could break a heart as brutally as she had. "Well, I got interested in theatre back in high school and I starred in many musicals back then. I furthered my interest in college, where I attended NYU and studied theatre. I was able to land a few roles in Broadway productions before a record label representative heard me sing and, well, a month later I was signed!" She giggled and Troy's heart twinged.

"What is it, Troy?" asked Taylor, stepping out of the kitchen, two glasses of wine in her hands. She glanced at the TV with mild interest, but did a double-take at the sight of her old best friend. "Is that-"

"Yeah," Troy said shortly, not lifting his gaze as he watched the TV program, as they talked about the musical-inspired movie Gabriella had starred in that was up for an Academy Award.

"Well, that's quite a diamond you've got there!" the host said suddenly, motioning towards her left hand. Gabriella lifted her hand up and giggled again; the camera zoomed up and zeroed in on a very large engagement ring on her finger. "Who's the lucky guy?" he asked, and Troy couldn't help but think of the irony in that statement.

_What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.  
__What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.  
__What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.  
__What goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.  
__Yeah._

Gabriella smiled innocently again. "His name's Dave, and we've been together for three years now. He's a really great guy and I love him so much."

"I'm sure he is," Troy found himself snarling at the screen. "Did you cheat on Ryan with him?"

"Okay, Troy, that's enough." Taylor picked up the remote and switched off the TV, sighing.

Troy looked around at her. "I was watching that!" he accused her.

Smiling sadly, Taylor leaned forward and rested her hand on Troy's knee, squeezing it slightly. "I love you, Troy, I really do. But you need to let Gabriella go."

He looked down, and didn't answer right away. His mind was racing, swirling with thoughts that he didn't know how to control, and finally settled on saying, "I want to, but... I can't."

"Why not?" asked Taylor, downcast. "What do I need to do for you to stop thinking about her and start focusing on... me?"

_What goes around comes around,  
__Yeahhh.  
__What goes around comes around,  
__You should know that.  
__What goes around comes around,  
__Yeahhh.  
__What goes around comes around,  
__You should know that._

"Oh, Taylor, don't think like that!" said Troy quickly, enveloping her in a tight hug. She melted against him, fitting herself into his body in a way that Gabriella never had. "It's not you... it's me. There's something keeping me from moving on, and I don't know what it is."

"Troy," said Taylor, pulling away from him and looking deep into his ocean-blue eyes with her own gleaming brown ones. Troy's heart throbbed as all of her wishes for him to forget were reflected into his eyes. Her eyes were so somber, so yearning for him, that he felt himself look down, breaking the connection that he couldn't stand to be involved in. "You have to get over her, or else we'll have no future," she told him delicately.

_Don't wanna think about it,  
__Don't wanna talk about it,  
__I'm just so sick about it.  
__I can't believe it's ending this way.  
__Just so confused about it,  
__Feeling the blues about it,  
__I can't do without ya.  
__Tell me is this fair?_

Biting his lip apprehensively, he exhaled. "I know that," he told her heavily. "And I'm working on it. God, believe me, I've been working on it for six years. But something... something isn't letting me," he repeated.

Taylor shook her head. "No, Troy. It's not _something_ that isn't letting you. You have control over your heart, your brain, your emotions – for some reason, you don't _want_ to let go. And you need to figure out why that is, before it's too late."

Troy swallowed, nodding. He leaned forward and gave Taylor a small peck on the lips before leaning back. She gave him a small, dismal smile before getting up and walking out of the room. Troy turned his attention to the blank TV screen, and found himself searching through his head desperately for an answer.

_Is this way it's really going down?  
__Is this how we say good-bye?  
__Should'a known better when you came around,  
__That you were gonna make me cry.  
__It's breaking my heart to watch you run around,  
__'Cause I know that you're living a lie.  
__But that's okay, baby, 'cause in time, you will find..._

Throughout the next few weeks, Troy tried to forget – he tried so hard that he started getting sick, and Taylor became worried. After much persuasion, he went to an appointment with a therapist and willingly confessed all of his inner thoughts to her, desperate to do whatever it took to get Gabriella far from his mind.

The therapist, Dr. Larson, was very quick in coming to a conclusion. "It seems to me that you are obsessed with getting your ex-girlfriend to feel the same way you did when she cheated on you."

"No, I'm not!" said Troy expeditiously.

"Yes, I think so," said his doctor, nodding. "You are consumed by your hatred of her that you won't be able to let go until what happened to you is done to her."

Troy blinked. "Wait... so you're saying I want her to get cheated on?" he asked perplexedly.

Dr. Larson nodded again and continued, "Yes. And until that occurs, I don't know how you're going to let go."

Troy contemplated this. After a moment, he voiced his quandary. "But, what if that never happens?

_What goes around, goes around, around, comes all the way back around.  
__What goes around, goes around, around, comes all the way back around.  
__What goes around, goes around, around, comes all the way back around.  
__What goes around, goes around, around, comes all the way back around.  
__Yeah.  
__Yup.  
__Yup.  
__Yup (let me paint this picture for ya, baby).  
__Yup._

For once, however, it seemed as if fate were on his side. A week following his visit with Dr. Larson, Taylor arrived at their apartment after work, holding two gossip magazines. She tossed them into the table, where Troy was reading the paper.

Troy looked up at her, and said, "Do you mind?"

Taylor smirked at him. "Look the covers."

Glancing down and reading the headlines, Troy's mouth dropped open. He picked up the magazine and held it close to his face, re-reading the same line five times.

**Oscar-nominated singer and actress, Gabriella Montez, breaks off engagement with country singer Dave Foley, after catching him in the act.**

_You spend your nights alone,  
__And he never comes home,  
__And every time you call him, all you get's the busy tone.  
__I heard you found out,  
__That he's doing to you,  
__What you did to me,  
__Ain't that the way it goes._

A small, gleeful smile slid its way onto Troy's features as he opened the magazine to its article, which explained in detail how Dave had been cheating on Gabriella for some many months now, and that she'd supposedly walked in on him while he was with one of his many girlfriend's.

Troy looked up at Taylor, who was watching him cautiously. "Well?" she asked.

He jumped up and wrapped his arms around Taylor, lifting him up and spinning her around. She squealed and laughed as he put her down, stopping only when his lips had found their way to hers. She kissed him back hungrily, saying huskily as they broke away, "You've never kissed me like that before."

_When you cheated, girl,  
__My heart bleeded, girl.  
__So it goes without saying that should let the feeling hurt.  
__Just a classic case, scenario.  
__Tale as old as time.  
Girl, you got what you deserved._

"This is probably one of the best things that could have ever happened to me – aside from you, of course," Troy told her gruffly and she smiled up at him. "I love you," he told her lovingly, stroking her hair.

She simpered. "I love you, too. And while this was an... interesting, if not malicious way to get you to over Gabriella, I'm glad it happened."

"I've always loved you, you know," said Troy immediately. "You know that, right? I just-"

"Shh," she told him quietly, letting her finger graze his lips. "I know."

They were interrupted by a ringing phone. Troy groaned loudly, and Taylor giggled but backed away from him anyway, sitting down at their kitchen table while Troy sauntered over to the phone.

"Hello?" he asked, his voice sounding more elated than it had in a long time.

"T-Troy?"

_And now you want somebody,  
__To cure the lonely nights.  
__You wish you had somebody,  
__That could come and make it right.  
__But girl, I ain't somebody.  
__I'm out of sympathy.  
__See..._

Troy's back instantly straightened as he stood up. His heart started to pound at a million miles per hour as his head swam. "Gabriella?"

Taylor, who had been reading one of the magazines, looked up sharply. She stood up faster than the time it took for the magazine to fall to the ground. Taking a step closer, her eyes stared at him, filled with self-doubt.

"Hi, Troy," she said quietly. "Wow. It's so nice to hear your voice."

"What do you want, Gabriella?" he asked nastily.

"I-I," she faltered. "I just..."

"You just what? Come on, spit it out!" he snapped, his voice filled with loathing.

He nearly heard her swallow agonizingly on the other end. "Um, well... I'm sure you must've heard about what happened by now..."

"Yeah. So what?"

"Troy, please, don't be so harsh!" she pleaded with him, and he heard her start to cry.

"Why not? You know what I'm going through now. Are you telling me that if Dave were to call you right now you wouldn't be pissed to hell at him?" Troy attacked.

She was silent for a moment, before saying, "Well, maybe right _now_ I would... but for God's sake, Troy, it's been six years!"

Shaking his head exasperatedly, Troy said to her, "You haven't changed at all, Gabriella. I know what you're going to ask, and it's no – I'm not going to help you get through this. You're gonna have to do it all alone, just like I did. Have a nice life." He slammed the phone down back into its cradle, and his gaze met Taylor's, who was smiling at him proudly.

_What goes around comes back around.  
__I thought I told ya.  
__Hey (hey).  
__What goes around comes back around.  
__I thought I told ya.  
__Hey (hey).  
__What goes around comes back around.  
__I thought I told ya.  
__Hey (hey).  
__What goes around comes back around.  
__I thought I told ya.  
__Hey (hey)._

Taylor strode toward him and intertwined her arms around his neck. Placing her face inches from his own, she whispered throatily, "I can't believe you just did that. It makes me love you even more."

Smiling against her lips, Troy said back, "It makes me love you even more to hear you say that."

Laughing, Taylor said, "I was afraid you were going to scamper on back to her."

Troy shook his head, holding Taylor close. "No way."

"She got what she deserved, huh?" said Taylor playfully.

Nodding, Troy affirmed, "What goes around comes around."

_Haha.  
__See,  
__You should'a listened to me baby.  
__(Take it to em, J)  
__(Take it to em, J)  
__Because,  
__What goes around comes back around.  
__Hahahaha.  
__Ooh.  
__Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh.  
__Ooh.  
__Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh._


End file.
